Google sends Street View trikes to Bletchley Park

Google has sent its Street View camera off-road to collect images of the
historic codebreaking site Bletchley Park, as part of a campaign to restore
C block, home to the master index of intercepted German messages.

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Google's trike captures one of the dilapidated Bletchley Park blocks

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A Google trike in front of Bletchley Park Mansion: the Bletchley Park mansion is in relatively good condition

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The intercept control room in hut 6 at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, the British forces' intelligence centre during WWIlPhoto: GETTY

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During the war Bletchley Park was at the centre of Britain's code-breaking operation. Photo: Getty Images

7:00AM BST 04 Aug 2011

The web giant sent a trike around Bletchley Park yesterday, towing a trailer and 360-degree camera behind it.

It means the site where the Enigma code was broken will join other internationally-significant heritage locations, such as Pompeii, on Google’s roster of “special collect” Street View sites. They all have no or limited road access, so a special effort must be made to gather the photographs that allow web users to explore them on-screen.

It’s hoped that when the images are uploaded to Street View in the next few weeks they will encourage greater awareness of Bletchley Park and donations to its restoration.

Today the Bletchley Park Trust is also hosting a fundraising garden party. As well as restoring C Block to its wartime condition, it aims to build a new visitors’ centre.